1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a barrier for containing floods. The barrier includes a frame which supports a flexible container having a drain and a vent. A plurality of frames and supported flexible containers are interlocked to form a wall or dam for containing fluids, generally, but not limited to flood water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sandbags are commonly used to construct a temporary dam, barrier or wall used to contain flood waters. Sandbags require massive quantities of filler material and intensive manpower. Sandbags also absorb the fluid which it contains and thus can retain pollutants or other harmful or toxic substances.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,568 teaches a system for reclamation of land in which a plurality of spaced elongated flexible sealed bags are filled with a mixture of aggregate and water. The bags are spaced apart from each other along a shoreline. The bags can be anchored at each end and positioned in a staggered relation with respect to each other or angularly disposed with respect to the shoreline. The bags act as a breakwater along the shoreline by absorbing energy from the waves and allowing excess water to spill over the top of the bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,751 teaches a wall formed by a plurality of stacked collapsible bags which are expanded by filling the bags with an aggregate such as sand, rock, gravel, concrete mortar or similar type mixtures. Each bag contains protuberances and indentations for interlocking one bag with respect to another bag. Multiple bags are stacked and interlocked to form a wall which can be used as a dike, levee or other water break or dam structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,995 discloses a portable dam having a plurality of frame members arranged at spaced intervals across a waterway. A longitudinally pleated and flexible web is draped over angularly inclined ribs. A skirt extends outwardly from the lower marginal edge of the flexible web along the bed of a waterway. A pressure differential between the outer face of the flexible web, which faces away from the frame, and the inner face, which rests on the frame, forces open the pleats of the web and balloons the pleats out to a semicircular configuration and maintains stability of the loaded dam.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,540 teaches a collapsible dam having an impermeable flexible membrane which is secured in a watertight manner to the bottom and side walls of a river. The flexible membrane is inflated with either air, water or a combination thereof to vary the overall length of the dam. A plurality of cylindrical units formed by the flexible membrane are sealably connected to the bottom and side walls of a river and to each other in the diametric direction. A prior art weir which is used in a river is disclosed in the '540 patent. The body of the weir is secured at peripheral edges to concrete bases which are formed on the bottom and both side banks of a river. The body is inflated to a certain height which causes the water in the river to dam up to a predetermined level.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,774 teaches a flood barrier which extends between opposed side walls of an enclosed space and forms a seal between a floor and side walls. A pleated barrier membrane is secured within the barrier thus providing a dam. U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,286 discloses an interconnectible frame structure that supports a flexible web. The web forms a flexible barrier that acts as a temporary waterway dam. A plurality of pickets driven into the bed of the waterway prevent the frames from sliding back and from sinking into the bed of the waterway.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,368 teaches a flood water containment bag constructed of a material which allows liquid to flow from the exterior to the interior of the bag, but does not allow reverse flow. Each bag is filled with an absorbing material that absorbs a large volume of liquid, approximately 100 to 1000 times its own weight. The bags can be fastened to each other to form a wall but it is difficult to release or discharge the water from the bag thus disassembly of the dam is labor intensive. U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,990 discloses a dam which is used in a river or stream. The dam has an inflatable flexible cover sealably attached to a bottom sheet which follows the bottom contour of the waterway. The lower interior surface of the container formed by the bottom sheet and the flexible cover has corrugations between rows of fittings so that in the deflated position, the flexible cover contacts the surface and follows the contour of the corrugations thereby reducing the vertical length of a buoyant and submerged film portion. In such position, the deflated cover will not interfere with ship propellers.